UA Medical Students to Pledge to Provide Compassionate Patient Care at Solidarity Day Event Feb. 16

TUCSON, Ariz. – In honor of national Solidarity Day, celebrated on Feb. 16, dozens of medical students, faculty and staff at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson will join hands and create a human chain representing solidarity with compassionate patient care.

“Our goal is to strengthen the relationship between patients and health-care providers,” said fourth-year College of Medicine – Tucson student Aimee Le, who helped coordinate the event as a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society. “We hope to bring the Tucson community together to promote acts of kindness and to stand in solidarity for compassionate care.”

This year’s weeklong events include remarks by Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, who will speak about patient access to appropriate and compassionate health care. His talk and the following Solidarity Week activities are open to the public:

6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13

Students will participate in a poetry slam contest that reflects humanism in medicine at the UA Poetry Center Hillman Odeum outdoor amphitheater, 1508 E. Helen St.

In honor of national Solidarity Day, faculty, staff and students will link arms creating a human chain in the UAHS plaza.

Students in the UA College of Medicine – Tucson’s Gold Humanism Honor Society lead the effort on the UA Health Sciences campus. Nationwide, the annual event is spearheaded by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation. The foundation encourages medical schools, patient-care institutions and other health care organizations to show their support for the importance of kindness to patients.

Solidarity Week 2018 is sponsored by Banner – University Medical Center, the UA College of Medicine – Tucson and the Gold Humanism Honor Society.

About the UA College of Medicine – Tucson

The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson is shaping the future of medicine through state-of-the-art medical education programs, groundbreaking research and advancements in patient care in Arizona and beyond. Founded in 1967, the college boasts more than 50 years of innovation, ranking among the top medical schools in the nation for research and primary care. Through the university’s partnership with Banner Health, one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country, the college is leading the way in academic medicine. For more information, visit medicine.arizona.edu.